It’s 2029 in Albany, New York—your average American city. A family of four stops by the corner sandwich shop for lunch, and the glass doors automatically slide open as they enter. A brand ambassador greets the family by name at the door, a tablet in her hand displaying the date and details of their...

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

Quick-service restaurants—along with retailers, hospitality firms, and other companies—are hiring more employees this holiday season than past holidays. Many restaurant operators are also paying those seasonal hires more than they did last year.
According to the latest U.S. Department of Labor jobs...

It’s that time of year. Time to look back and reflect upon the brand developments in quick service from the past year—from the surprising to the exciting and the defining—that seemed most important. Innovation and growth are a couple of the common themes among the top fast-food brand stories of...

McDonald's posted sharper-than-expected November sales declines. Global sales were reported down 2.2 percent. In the U.S. sales fell more than twice that: 4.6 percent, the lowest sales month for McDonald’s in over a decade, and almost four times worse than analysts had projected. Those wacky...

Forget the classic buffet of stale, day-old fare once prevalent in America’s casinos. The dining landscape in these establishments is now just as competitive and diverse as the world beyond blackjack tables and slots. In casinos, excess is everywhere. People expect an array of choices for gambling...

The quick-service restaurant industry is always changing, and for 17 years and 200 issues, QSR has been there to write it into the history books.
As the leading source of news and information for the industry, we’ve watched trends come and go, brands rise to prominence while others fade away, and...

Papa Murphy's shares the home-baked love again this Valentine's day with its popular heart-shaped HeartBaker pizza. The HeartBaker pizza will be available at Papa Murphy's locations nationwide February 2–14.

"A seasonal fan favorite by staff and customers alike for over 30 years, our...

Rich Hicks has reached the height of success in the restaurant industry, with his quick-service concepts being heralded with accolades and catapulting him into the spot of a top-ranked entrepreneur. And like so many other leaders in the business, his career began at the bottom, working as a...

Captain D's reached a record-breaking average unit volume and a fourth-quarter same-store sales increase of 5.7 percent at the end of 2014. The company's average-unit-volume growth marks the second year its unit volume has reached an all-time high, and its fourth quarter performance marks the...

The Original Brooklyn Water Bagel Co. is baking up an offer in celebration of National Bagel Day on Monday, February 9. On this day, the restaurant is thanking its guests for their patronage by providing a free small order of its newest product, Bagel Tasters— 10 bite-sized bagels along with...

McDonald’s one-minute “Pay with Lovin’” ad, which aired during the 2nd quarter, is one of the top-scoring ads so far this Super Bowl, according to Ace Metrix, the standard in television and video advertising analytics. The ad achieved an Ace Score of 706, one of the highest Super...

Convenience stores are increasingly taking a larger slice out of the quick-serve pie with fresh food offerings. It’s become such a lucrative business for C-stores that Sheetz, the Pennsylvania-based C-store chain that this week opened its 500th location, is planning stores designed more as fast...

When Lori Newcomb found out she had stage III ovarian cancer last year, she made it her mission to learn more about the disease and help other women fighting the same battle. She sat down with her husband, Chris Newcomb, cofounder and CEO of Southern quick-service chain Newk’s Eatery, and together...

When fast-casual chain Zoës Kitchen Inc. debuted on the New York Stock Exchange last April, the Plano, Texas–based Mediterranean-style eatery recorded its initial public offering at $87.5 million. Satisfying an investor appetite for investments within the trendy fast-casual space, Zoës’ strong...

Though U.S. consumption is well below other proteins today, seafood will likely be an increasingly important part of the American diet in the years to come. The country’s population is predicted to grow by 89 million between 2010 and 2050 to 401 million people. More people require more food—and...

While the fast-casual category continues to be the fastest-growing industry sector, the road in 2015 will be bumpy. We will see constant change and challenges around every corner. For industry leaders, there are issues that will keep even the most seasoned executive awake at night.
Here is my top...

Kevin Kester’s family has been farming in the U.S. for generations. And it’s not just a couple of generations they’ve been farming; more like generations upon generations, way back to the 1600s, specifically in California since the 1860s. Today, Kester owns a 22,000-acre beef cattle ranch in...